


the scent of coffee on your skin

by imfckntrash



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Coffee Shops, Fluff, M/M, Oops, barista wonsik, photography student hongbin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 18:29:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6250744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imfckntrash/pseuds/imfckntrash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>hongbin finds his muse in wonsik</p>
            </blockquote>





	the scent of coffee on your skin

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ofsaturn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofsaturn/gifts).



it happens the same time every morning. his bus comes – always a few minutes late, but that's the whole reason he gets the earlier bus – and he takes the next open seat towards the back. untangling his headphones, he puts them in his ears and turns on his music before glancing around the bus for any new faces. it's been a whole summer break since hongbin's been back at university. the usual faces were broken up by what looked like a few new students silently chatting to one another or writing in their notebooks. one person in particular caught his eye; it was only a flash of a profile, but he seemed too old to be just starting university. he got off at the same stop as hongbin all the same.

he walked, admiring the familiar pathway dusted with the occasional fallen leaves. if he didn't have to be in class soon, hongbin would have stopped to admire the view behind his lens, always preferring landscapes to any other subject. coming upon the entrance to his building felt like coming home. it didn't take him long to find his classroom and fully immerse himself into his passion.

~

a few weeks later, hongbin was dead on his feet. he barely managed to cross the street without getting hit. he was up all night stressing over the final edits for his photography class, always worrying if there were too many or not enough edits. as luck would have it, his next class was in an hour, so if he wanted to get through it alive he was going to need a pick-me-up. entering the warm coffee shop, hongbin finally felt able to breathe. he closed his eyes, and took in the smell of freshly made coffee in the air. upon exhaling, he felt the stress of his finished deadline ooze out his every pore. he walked up to the counter feeling a sense of calm that he thought had been long lost.

“a small coffee, please,” hongbin ordered, smiling at the barista quickly before handing over his money and walking down to the end to receive his drink.

hongbin caught a glimpse of the man's profile as he made the coffee and recognized it from his morning bus to school everyday. curious, hongbin leaned on the counter and watched him finish off the coffee and turn around to hand it to him. hongbin admired his dark eyes and his pink lips before reaching for his coffee. their fingers brushed, and hongbin looked down with a light blush on his cheeks from the accidental contact. muttering a 'thanks,' he turned and sat at the first open table he saw. hongbin placed his bag on the chair beside him, and he took out his computer. he couldn't help but sneak a glimpse at the new barista every now and again, noticing the soft smiles that lit up his face.

~

hongbin felt himself drawn more and more to the coffee shop. always coming at the same time, always ordering the same thing, always sitting at the same table, and always stealing glances in the barista's direction. monday's, wednesday's, and friday's became his favorite days of the week. but this friday was different when hongbin entered the coffee shop. the barista was nowhere in sight. he leaned on the counter and looked over, hoping to see the now familiar face on the other side. when no one was there, he tentatively called out, fully aware of how loud his voice sounded in the near empty shop.

“um-hello? is anyone here?”

he waited a moment, hoping his normal speaking voice was enough to alert his presence. when it seemed no one was coming, he turned to leave. he was almost at the door, when he heard a shout.

“i'm sorry! i didn't hear you come in,” the deep, breathy voice responded.

hongbin turned back around and watched the barista finish his short jog to the counter. he had the fleeting thought that the barista looked cute like that – breathing just a bit more than normal – before he pulled on a pair of gloves and beckoned hongbin to him with an irresistible smile. he went without hesitation.

after paying – the barista knew his order by now – hongbin waited at the other end of the counter to receive his drink. the barista placed it on the counter, but he didn't let go of it.

“i'm sorry again about making you wait. i was taking a call from my sister in my apartment, and i didn't realize it was gonna take that long. sorry,” he smiled sheepishly and pushed the cup across the counter.

hongbin found him endearing and returned his smile with a small one of his own. he wanted to respond with a simple 'it's okay' or maybe 'no problem,' but none of those thing came out of his mouth. instead, he responded, “you live upstairs?” and hongbin mentally slapped himself for it. he cringed in embarrassment and reached for his cup, never taking his eyes off it. he felt his cheeks grow warmer with every passing second.

“wanna come upstairs and find out?” the barista replied, leaning his elbows on the counter. hongbin choked on the sip of coffee he took, looking up to see a shy expression on the barista's face. he opened his mouth a couple times before being able to actually respond.

“did you just– i don't even know your name,” hongbin stated, shocked. did he just proposition him? in the middle of the afternoon? in public? his hands started to shake with nerves and something else. anticipation? he gripped his cup tighter.

the barista laughed lightly and hung his head down before looking up again, with a light blush to match. “i’m sorry. i didn’t mean for that to come out the way it did.” he huffed again before continuing. “what I meant was–,” he started, and after taking a pause, “i’m sorry. can we just start over?”

his cheeks were much redder now, and hongbin couldn’t help but think he was adorable. nodding, hongbin introduced himself. “i’m lee hongbin, and you are?”

“kim wonsik.”

~

this was the start of their friendship. wonsik always ended up starting their conversations, but once engaged, hongbin gave as much as was given. he got to learn that wonsik was more than just his good looks and soft smiles. he was an artist, albeit a different one than hongbin, a caring brother, and an observant listener. and hongbin couldn’t have found a better friend.

~

as the days got colder, hongbin started spending most of his time at the coffee shop with wonsik. when he worked, hongbin sat at his regular table and half edited his photos, half watch wonsik work. when he didn’t work, he and hongbin would sit and talk over coffee or tea. they’d talk about wonsik’s compositions and hongbin’s photography. sometimes, when he was particularly confident, he’d show wonsik some of his favorite photographs and be rewarded with wonsik showing him a composition.

when hongbin was especially busy with schoolwork, taking pictures and working in the studio, wonsik would text him. it was never anything really important, just a few observations of customers or a thought of where he could go to take pictures next, but hongbin liked that wonsik would think of him when he wasn’t around. it made him feel warm and look forward to their next meeting.

~

it was days like today that hongbin wished he was more confident. he had gotten out of class early with a new assignment to complete: 100 or so pictures on your least common genre, and hongbin’s was portraiture. there was a reason hongbin’s was portraiture: he didn’t do well around strangers. so he understood why his professor made the assignment on someone he knew, and he so badly wanted to photograph wonsik. he didn’t think he could ever get the courage to actually ask him to model for him. just the thought of asking made him scrunch his face.

“what’s the face for?” wonsik asked, sitting in the chair opposite hongbin. he blushed slightly at the suddenness of his appearance, at being caught off guard.

“oh, um, i just have a new assignment.” hongbin replied, leaning back in his chair and pushing his computer across to wonsik for further explanation. as he read, hongbin admired his features, thinking about how well they might translate on film.

“portraiture? i thought you only did landscapes, cityscapes, nature, things of that sort.”

“i do. well, i usually do. i prefer it, but the professor wanted to challenge us, so he assigned us to our least common genre.” hongbin played with his empty coffee cup, wishing he had something else to distract him from the way wonsik was looking at him, like he was hoping or expecting something else, a different response. he cleared his throat once before speaking.

“so, who’s going to be your subject?”

hongbin dropped his head to the table with a groan. wonsik laughed at him and reached across the table to pat his head. that had hongbin looking up, adjusting his position so his head rested on his hands. he thought for a while before ultimately deciding he did not have enough courage or confidence to ask wonsik to model for him. especially not when wonsik had adjusted his own position to mirror hongbin’s.

“i honestly don’t know. there really isn’t anything helpful on the assignment besides that it has to be someone you know, and i can’t just take the train home to photograph my family or something,” hongbin sighed, shrugging.

hongbin was watching wonsik now. he watched the way he smiled at him, a half smile, one side of his mouth pulling up at the corner. he watched the way his eye crinkled just the slightest bit. hongbin looked in his eyes and admired the dark color looking down at the table.

maybe it was the smile or the kindness of him in general, but he felt relaxed, at ease. and if he really thought about it, it’s completely silly to be nervous around him. it’s silly to be nervous around wonsik, the same person who anytime he’s near he finds it so easy to just be himself. so maybe it was time to suck it up. hongbin took a deep breath and released it, then did it again.

“wonsik.” at the mention of his name, he looked up and hummed in response. thinking it’s now or never, hongbin asked, “would you pose for me?”

as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he felt his cheeks burn a light shade of pink. he wanted to hide his face, wanted to run away, but instead he watched wonsik’s reaction. he really wasn’t sure what he was expecting. but wonsik grinned, wide and full of teeth, and he knew he made the right decision, despite the uncomfortable warmth of his cheeks.

~

for their first meeting, they decided to meet in wonsik’s apartment. as much as being alone with wonsik in his apartment made him nervous, he wanted wonsik to be at ease. so hongbin knocked on a small door next to the coffee shop. he immediately put his hands back in his pockets, the cold air stinging his bare hands. a couple seconds later, the door was opened, and he was greeted with a big smile and a simple ‘follow me.’

a flight of stairs and removal of shoes and jacket later, hongbin and wonsik were sat on his couch. hongbin was mesmerized by his surroundings, admiring the books and notebooks and dvds strewn all over the place. and while it looked like a mess, it felt homey, lived-in, and hongbin loved it.

hongbin looked over at wonsik, casually relaxed on the sofa, watching him with a soft smile on his face. he flushed at the fact that he hadn’t even said hello or anything really at all since he arrived. he looked down and away, clearing his throat.

“ah, i like your home.” hongbin internally cringed at his choice of words, but wonsik just smiled.

“yeah? thanks!” wonsik replied. hongbin smiled at the sincerity of his words. “hey, sorry. do you want anything to drink?”

“oh. um, water please.”

as he went into the kitchen, hongbin pulled his camera out of his bag. he started messing around with the aperture and shutter speeds, pulling the camera up to his face, making sure they were set so the pictures would come out okay. when he pulled the camera down for the final time, he saw wonsik standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, another soft smile on his face, holding two glasses of water. he motioned with his head to come into the kitchen, but hongbin snapped a picture, advancing the film and taking one more before finally getting up.

the doorway was narrow, too narrow for two grown men to walk through together. so instead hongbin stood next to wonsik as he started to lean into his personal space. hongbin caught the faint smell of coffee come off him.

“can i see?” hongbin furrowed his eyebrows at the question.

“no. it’s film. you won’t get to see them until i develop it.” wonsik hummed. he pushed off the door frame, then and walked into the kitchen. hongbin followed.

the kitchen was a decent size. it held a table and two chairs along with the usual stuff: fridge, stove, oven, sink, cabinets. wonsik led them over to the table which held two glasses of water and a small bowl of hand fruits. as wonsik sat, hongbin crouched and snapped another few photos before joining him.

and that’s how the rest of the night went, too. they would talk and hongbin would snap pictures. he tried to pace himself. he wanted the night to last forever. he captured pictures that he couldn’t wait to develop: wonsik laughing, wonsik cooking, even wonsik composing. hongbin’s heart became a steady stream of wonsik. with each photo he took, wonsik became printed on film, and engrained on hongbin’s heart.

 

the second time hongbin took pictures of wonsik was when he was at work. hongbin had to admit he was a fan of unsuspecting, unaware photographs of people. he took pictures of wonsik interacting with customers and making drinks. but by far his favorite picture of the day was of wonsik handing him his coffee with a few of their fingers intertwined.

 

the third time hongbin took pictures of wonsik was when they went to eat at a diner. hongbin couldn’t help but think of how cute wonsik was when he was drinking his milkshake, so he pulled his camera out and snapped a shot before wonsik could protest. he snapped a few more as wonsik tried to argue with him about ‘no cameras at the table’ before finally putting it away at his puppy dog face. only a quarter of the roll of film was filled.

 

the third and a half time hongbin took pictures of wonsik was when they went out to the movies. hongbin snapped pictures on the way there. he thought he got a few sneaky shots during in which wonsik gently reminded him ‘the shutter makes a noise’ and ‘just watch the movie, will you’ before hongbin put the camera away. hongbin finished off the roll when they left the theater. hongbin got to capture the look of amazement in wonsik’s eyes as he watched the first snowfall of the season. he only wished those eyes were cast upon him in the same manner.

 

the fourth time hongbin took pictures of wonsik was when they went to the park. everything was covered in snow, and it was beyond freezing, but he insisted they make a snowman. in reality hongbin took pictures of wonsik as he made the snowman and threw snow in hongbin’s general direction. hongbin honestly couldn’t remember the last time he laughed so much.

eventually making a snowman turned into wonsik chasing hongbin, trying to put snow down his shirt. hongbin ducked behind a tree, crouched slightly behind a bush. he saw wonsik looking around for him and snapped a few pictures before chasing after him. with the roles reversed, wonsik ran, still laughing, until hongbin caught up, tackling him to the ground and pushing snow down the back of his jacket.

wonsik made an ungodly sound at the new addition. hongbin quickly rolled off, laughing. he managed to snap one picture of wonsik’s face, before laying on his own back, nearly in tears from wonsik’s reaction. as his laughter died down, he looked over at wonsik, who didn’t look mad or upset in the slightest. instead a look of amusement adorned his face, his eyes sparkling. so hongbin smiled at him, so wide it practically hurt, before memorializing it on film and hoping he would get to see it in person again.

 

the final time hongbin took pictures of wonsik was when hongbin had him pose at his studio. it was a bittersweet end for hongbin. it was sweet because then he wouldn’t have to worry about the assignment anymore, but it was bitter because now he wouldn’t have an excuse to take pictures of wonsik anymore. and he had to admit that portraiture wasn’t so bad when it was someone you deeply cared for.

as hongbin prepared the lighting in his studio, he was nervous. this time around he was going to have to distance his emotions and just take the pictures. he wanted close ups of wonsik’s features for his final roll of film.

wonsik knocked on the door before walking in. hongbin turned to look at him and was speechless. hongbin knew wonsik was good looking. he’s been looking at him constantly over the past couple of weeks. but wonsik looked especially good today in all black, making his skin glow and seem even paler. hongbin tried to remain calm. he smiled and greeted him as wonsik took his coat off.

“where do you want me?” wonsik asked, rubbing and blowing on his hands to warm them up.

“however you’re comfortable. there’s a stool if you wanna sit. i’m gonna do close up shots of your features, if you’re okay with that?” hongbin stated, grabbing his camera and additional lens. he was internally scolding himself at the increase of his heartbeat as he turned to look at wonsik now sitting on the stool. he nodded his head, and hongbin let out a small breath he hadn’t known he was holding as he started.

hongbin started at his feet, so he didn’t have to face wonsik just yet. he started by photographing his shoes, then the small expanse of his ankle that was showing. he moved onto his hands that were holding onto the stool, enjoying the shades between his pale skin, the dark clothes, and the inbetween color of the stool. next he captured the white buttons reflecting the bright studio lights against the black fabric of wonsik’s shirt, the smallest, tiniest bit of skin peeking out from the fold in the fabric. hongbin inhaled sharply before averting his eyes and quickly standing. wonsik’s eyes followed him at his sudden movement. he reached out for hongbin’s arm to steady him as he stumbled a bit. the skin on skin contact gave him tiny goose bumps.

“you alright?” wonsik asked, grinning at his slight fumble. hongbin huffed a laugh and nodded. he felt his heart rate increase as he pulled the camera up to his face.

hongbin took his time with the facial close ups, giving small instruction when needed. he started at wonsik’s shoulders, taking a picture of his collarbone before moving onto his neck and adam’s apple, his jawline, his ears. then he moved on to his actual face.

“could you stand, please? and just relax your face, okay?” hongbin requested, gently tilting his face into the light.

he watched as he stood and as wonsik’s features practically melted into a neutral expression. hongbin gave him a small smile before once again bringing his camera to his face. he started with his eyes and nose, then moved onto his hair. motioning for permission with his hand, he ran his fingers through wonsik’s hair and adjusted it the way he wanted, taking a picture of the process as well. no one needs to know he did it just to enjoy the feel of his hair on his hand. lastly, he captured his lips.

hongbin felt wonsik’s eyes on him the whole time, and he knew wonsik like to watch him work, he like seeing the process. but this time was different. wonsik’s eyes were focused entirely on him. he tried to calm his shaky hands as much as possible while he took the last few photos of his lips. the first few were of his lips as they were, relaxed and together. then hongbin gently grabbed his chin and parted his lips just the tiniest bit. he steadily avoided looking at wonsik as he removed his hand. he took a photo of his lips, a light ghost of his breath fogging up the lens a bit. as hongbin took the last photo, he lowered the camera where it hung against his chest. but he didn’t take a step back as he looked at wonsik, for the first time in a really long time, not through a lens.

he admired wonsik’s eyes, the dark, dark color still somehow able to glow. hongbin looked at the ground, not able to handle the intensity at which wonsik was looking at him. he huffed a laugh and went to take a step back, put some space between them, but wonsik grabbed his hand. he chanced another glance at wonsik’s face, and there was an emotion he couldn’t quite place settled on it. hongbin went to say something, anything, he didn’t even know what, ask for an explanation maybe, but wonsik spoke first.

“can i kiss you?” there was second where hongbin froze, and then he gripped wonsik’s hand a little harder before nodding.

hongbin watched as wonsik brought his other hand up to the side of his jaw, drawing him in slowly as he closed the gap between their lips. hongbin felt how soft his lips were, pressed ever so gently on his. but it was also firm, not allowing for any question that this wasn’t anything other than what he wanted. wonsik pulled away the tiniest bit, still close enough that they were sharing the same air, and hongbin caught a scent of coffee and peppermint. before wonsik was pressing his lips to hongbin’s once again in a chaste kiss.

hongbin looked down, attempting to hide the big smile threatening to break through.

“hongbin.” he looked back up at the mention of his name, trying to hide his smile in wonsik’s hand on his face. “hongbin, i really like you,” wonsik sighed, stroking the side of his face. hongbin both internally cringed and jumped for joy.

“i really like you too, wonsik.”

~

if you were to ask hongbin again, what was his favorite subject to capture, he would say he always prefers wonsik to any other subject.


End file.
